Wesley Willis

Putting Spotify on shuffle can sometimes have unexpected consqequences. I was listening to Mark Ronson, then suddenly I head Wesley Willis singing Good News Is Rock N Roll. After the initial sense of horror, I now can't stop listening to his songs! I think I'm a bit obsessed with this man who was truly a unique person!

His songs are an assault on the ears, but how many people can say that they've wanted to be something and actually manage it?! Well done Mr Willis!

If you've ever seen Supersize Me, you might remember hearing his song 'Rock N Roll McDonalds'.

Here is his bio:

A self-titled “Chicago City Artist,” Wesley Willis began selling his drawings out of necessity as a teenager on the streets of Chicago. Consisting mainly of cityscapes of his beloved city, his renderings of Chicago contained an amazing amount of detail, down to the ads on the city buses and the license plate numbers on the multitude of cars rushing by.

Wesley developed schizophrenia and along with his drawings he turned to music to drown out the demons that ceaselessly plagued him. Wesley announced to a friend one day he would like to become a rock star and once he set his mind to something there was no stopping him. He filled his albums with his unique artwork and humorous, often disturbing songs about his everyday struggles. Beginning with his band The Wesley Willis Fiasco and moving on to a solo career, Wesley carved out his own niche in a scene that was surely not prepared for such a force of nature as Wesley Willis.

Eventually gaining a cult following for both his music and artwork, Wesley became known for his prolific output of work and his relentless hustling. He would offer up CDs for sale to everyone he encountered; doctors, priests, waiters, he did not discriminate when it came to making a sale. Those sales would often be preceded by a request for a headbutt (Wesley’s favorite way of greeting people). He made it impossible to forget him.

By the time of his death at the age of 40 in 2003, Wesley had recorded more than 50 albums and had drawn and sold an untold number of pen and marker drawings to people all over the world.